More Longmont mosquito pools test positive for West Nile virus

By John FryarLongmont Times-Call

Posted:
07/10/2013 09:32:46 PM MDT

Updated:
07/11/2013 02:12:50 PM MDT

Jessica Schurich, with Colorado Mosquito Control Inc., the city's testing and spraying contractor, sprays for adult mosquitoes in the Mill Village neighborhood in Longmont on Wednesday.
(
Greg Lindstrom
)

West Nile precautions

Boulder County Public Health officials urge residents to take precautions to protect themselves. They advise remembering "the four Ds":

Use DEET-enhanced insect repellant or an alternative.

Dress in long sleeves and pants.

From Dusk until Dawn, avoid the outdoors.

Drain standing water outside the home.

LONGMONT -- Five mosquito pools collected from multiple Longmont traps Sunday have tested positive for West Nile virus, according to Boulder County Public Health.

Colorado Mosquito Control Inc., the city's testing and spraying contractor, were expected to spray for adult mosquitoes in five locations Wednesday night.

Otter Tail Environmental, Boulder County's mosquito contractor, will spray the Boulder County Fairgrounds area on Thursday, in advance of Friday's and Saturday's Rhythm on the River festival at Roger's Grove at Hover Street and Boston Avenue.

Boulder County Public Health officials said the mosquito pools collected Sunday that tested positive for West Nile virus marked the third week in a row that mosquitoes collected from Longmont-area traps have tested positive for the virus.

No human West Nile virus cases have been reported from Boulder County this season. On July 3, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced that the first human case reported this year was a Delta County resident who became ill after being bitten numerous times by mosquitoes while attending an early evening outdoor event.

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That patient developed West Nile virus fever, a less severe form of the disease, and recovered after a brief hospitalization, state officials said.

Dan Wolford, the city of Longmont's parks, open space and greenways manager, said the latest batch of virus-carrying mosquitoes came from pools from five of the 11 Longmont locations sampled each Sunday by Colorado Mosquito Control.

Those five locations, Wolford said, were the Meadow View area, Left Hand Creek at Creekside; the St. Vrain Greenway; the Jim Hamm Nature Area; and the Boulder County Fairgrounds area.

Jessica Schurich, with Colorado Mosquito Control Inc., the city's testing and spraying contractor, sprays for adult mosquitoes in the Mill Village neighborhood in Longmont on Wednesday.
(
Greg Lindstrom
)

Areas targeted for Colorado Mosquito Control Spraying on Wednesday night:

The Jim Hamm Nature Area, including subdivisions north of Deerwood Drive.

Sandstone Ranch.

Mill Village/Great Western Drive.

Willow Creek/Clover Basin, including areas south of Nelson Road and north of Clover Basin Drive.

The St. Vrain Greenway from Main Street to Sandstone Ranch.

Watersong/Creekside.

Wolford said the county's contractor today will be spraying a Boulder County Fairgrounds area bounded by Nelson Road on the south, Hover Street on the west, Third Avenue on the north and Sunset Street on the east.

West Nile virus-carrying Culex mosquitoes increase in numbers as temperatures rise. Human infections can occur without symptoms or can cause mild or severe illness, including fever, extreme fatigue, head or body aches, and can lead to chronic disability, including tremors, vision loss, paralysis, or even death.

Mosquitoes at several sites in Boulder also have tested positive for the virus in the last couple of weeks, prompting officials of that city to urge residents to take precautions.

On June 25, a positive pooled sample came from mosquitoes trapped at Christensen Park and Stazio Ball Fields. On July 2, a second positive pooled sample came from traps at Christensen Park, Tom Watson Park, Locust and 10th streets and the South Boulder Recreation Center, Boulder city officials have said.

State health officials said last week that 21 mosquito pools -- groups of mosquitoes batched together for testing -- have also tested positive for West Nile virus from Larimer, Weld, Adams, Pueblo and Mesa counties. A sick llama was confirmed with West Nile virus infection from Mesa County.

"West Nile is here, so we must be diligent in protecting ourselves when we're out enjoying summer activities," said Marshall Lipps, a Boulder County Public Health environmental health specialist. "Every one of us is at risk for the disease, regardless of where we live in the county or the state, and we should continue to protect ourselves from mosquitoes."

Last year, Colorado had an active West Nile virus year, with 131 reported human cases and five deaths, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Forty-six percent of those patients developed more severe neuroinvasive forms of the disease in which the virus invades the spinal cord or brain.

By contrast, 2011 was a quiet year, with just seven cases reported, state officials have said. Colorado's peak year was in 2003, when 2,847 cases and 63 deaths were reported.

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